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Recreation.gov is how 14 federal agencies — the National Park Service, the Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Army Corps of Engineers, and more — came together to give you one place to plan, discover, and book your public lands experience. More than 5,000 facilities. 121,000 campsites. 528 million acres of land.

Most people use it to book a campsite. But Recreation.gov does so much more — and knowing how to use it changes how you plan every trip.

Janelle Smith, Strategic Communications Lead with Recreation.gov and the U.S. Forest Service, joins The Parks Podcast to walk through the full platform: booking windows, lotteries, permits, passes, fire safety, food storage, Leave No Trace, and the trip planning tool that most people have never discovered.

In this episode: — Why 14 federal agencies came together to build one platform — How Recreation.gov helps protect the lands from being "loved to death" — The surprising variety of public lands on the platform — swamp platforms, Army Corps lakes, marine sanctuaries, and more — Booking windows: when to reserve six months out vs. two weeks out vs. same day — Lotteries and permits — how they work and when you need them — Passes — what the different types cover and how to choose the right one — Campfire safety, food storage in bear country, and Leave No Trace — The Trip Builder tool — and why it's a game changer for road trips — How to volunteer on public lands

Links mentioned: 

• Recreation.gov: recreation.gov 
• Trip Builder: recreation.gov/trip-builder
• Passes: recreation.gov/passes 
• Volunteer.gov: volunteer.gov 
• Leave No Trace: lnt.org 
• Recreate Responsibly: recreateresponsibly.org 
• Be Bear Aware: fs.usda.gov/managing-land/natural-resources/wildlife/bears 
• National Public Lands Day: last Saturday in September

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The saguaro cactus can live 175 to 200 years. It takes a decade to grow one inch. It takes 70 years to grow its first arm. No two are alike — some never grow arms at all. And Saguaro National Park, split into two districts surrounding Tucson, Arizona, is the only place on Earth where they grow the way they do.

Cam Juarez, Community Engagement and Outreach Coordinator at Saguaro National Park, joins The Parks Podcast to share the full story — from the Tohono O'odham people whose entire culture revolves around the saguaro to the park's remarkable community outreach programs, and everything you need to visit both districts.

In this episode: — What a saguaro actually is — and why the nurse plant matters — How Saguaro National Park was created — and why ranching nearly cost generations of cactus — The Tohono O'odham saguaro fruit harvest ceremony — and what the ha-shan means to the people who call this home — East district vs. west district — how to choose and what you'll find — The eight-mile paved loop, backcountry camping, mountain biking, and road biking — The Cactus Ranger program and citizen science opportunities — Sunset picnic dinners with your family on the west side — Cam's personal favorite — How Saguaro went from 1% Latino visitation to presenting at the Super Bowl

Links mentioned: — Plan your visit: nps.gov/sagu — Camping: recreation.gov — Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum: desertmuseum.org

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The Statue of Liberty is one of the most recognized symbols in the world — and most people have never really seen her. The broken chains and shackles at her feet. The torch that was swinging 12 inches off its axis when crews reached it in the 1980s. The fact that Americans almost didn't fund the pedestal at all, and it took a newspaper crowdfunding campaign to make it happen.

Matt Hush, archivist at Statue of Liberty National Monument, joins The Parks Podcast to tell the full story — of the gift from France, the abolitionist politics behind the statue's design, and the remarkable promise of Ellis Island, where approximately 12 million immigrants were welcomed into the United States between 1892 and 1954.

Missy also shares her personal experience visiting both islands — and what Ellis Island made her feel about how America welcomes people, then and now.

In this episode: — The real reason France gave the United States the Statue of Liberty — The broken chains at her feet that most visitors never see — How she was built twice — and almost not funded at all — The crowdfunding campaign that saved the pedestal — Ellis Island: what the arrival process was actually like for 12 million immigrants — What almost happened to Ellis Island after it closed in 1954 — Everything you need to know to plan your visit — ferries, timed tickets, what to pack

Links mentioned:  

• Plan your visit
• NPS App
• Ferry tickets
• Save Ellis Island hardhat tours

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The science of happiness has a lot to say about nature. And it's not just that being outside is nice — it's that we were never meant to be separate from it.

Old Happy teaches us that we are separate from the world around us — that the self is the center of everything. New Happy says the opposite: we are a part of nature, not above it. And when you operate from that understanding — when you step outside, notice what's around you, feel small among tall trees — something shifts. Measurably.

Stephanie Harrison, creator of The New Happy philosophy and author of New Happy, joins The Parks Podcast to make the scientific case for why the outdoors is one of the most powerful on-ramps to a happier life.

In this episode: — What New Happy is — and why Old Happy has been making us miserable — Why the belief that we are separate from nature is at the root of so many of our problems — The research on nature and wellbeing — decreased depression, decreased anxiety, better connection, greater self-esteem — Why feeling small among tall trees is one of the best things you can do for your mental health — The five things you can do right now to move toward a happier life — How parks serve as a safe space to try new things, rediscover play, be away from screens, and reconnect — The New Happy book — 10 years of research, 60 pieces of original artwork, hundreds of scientific references

Resources mentioned: — New Happy: thenewhappy.com — Follow: @NewHappyCo — Book: newhappybook.com — The Nature Fix by Florence Williams

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Most of what we learned about Harriet Tubman in school fits in two paragraphs. The truth is so much larger.

The two-pound weight thrown at her head that cracked her skull and gave her epileptic seizures for life. The 13 trips south — not just to free her family, but to liberate strangers. The Christmas Eve escape of 1854 when she blindfolded her own father so he could truthfully say he never saw her. The Combahee River Raid of June 1863 — a full month before Gettysburg — when she helped liberate 700 enslaved people in a single military operation.

Ranger Tim Van Cleve joins The Parks Podcast from Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park in Church Creek, Maryland to tell the full story.

In this episode: — How the park came to be — grassroots organizations in the 1970s, a national byway, and eventually a national monument under President Obama — Harriet Tubman's full story — from the two-pound weight to 13 trips south to the Combahee River Raid — The coded letter sent to Jacob Jackson in 1849 — how information traveled through the Underground Railroad — The Christmas Eve escape of 1854 — and why she blindfolded her own father — The Underground Railroad network — not just Maryland's Eastern Shore, but Iowa, Indiana, Texas, and Mexico — What to see and do at the park — the visitor center, the 16-minute film, the walking trail, the passport program — Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge — winter birding, thousands of ducks and geese, right next door — The Harriet Tubman Byway — 45 historical stops from southern Dorchester County to Philadelphia

Links mentioned: — Plan your visit: nps.gov/hatu — Harriet Tubman Byway: harriettubmanbyway.org — Visit Dorchester: visitdorchester.com — Soldier of Freedom film: YouTube

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One hour from Washington D.C., Sky Meadows State Park sits in the rolling hills of Fauquier County, Virginia — with the darkest skies in the region, an entrance to the Appalachian Trail, 20+ miles of hiking and equestrian trails, and a history that almost didn't happen.

In the early 1970s, this land was slated to become 50-acre home sites. The gas crisis killed the deal. Philanthropist Paul Mellon bought it and donated it to Virginia — on the condition it become a state park. Park Manager Patrick McNamara joins The Parks Podcast to share the full story of how Sky Meadows came to be — and why it's one of the most complete park experiences in the mid-Atlantic.

In this episode: — The full history of Sky Meadows — from the Shenandoah Valley's original settlers to Paul Mellon's gift — The Mount Bleak House — interpreted to the Abner Settle era, with volunteer docent tours on select weekends — The beef cattle operation, kitchen garden, beehives, and demonstration wheat plot — a working farm within a state park — The Sensory Explorers Trail — 0.3 miles, designed for vision-impaired visitors, perfect for families with young children — 22+ miles of hiking, 10+ miles of bridle trails, and the Children's Discovery Area — International Dark Sky Park — the darkest skies near D.C., monthly astronomy programs with the Northern Virginia Astronomy Club and a NASA JPL ambassador — Conservation partnerships — Blandy Experimental Farm, Clifton Institute, Potomac Appalachian Trail Club — How to plan your visit from D.C. — a perfect half-day or full-day escape

Links mentioned: — Plan your visit: dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/sky-meadows — Astronomy programs: monthly, free with parking

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Bryce Canyon is not a canyon. It's a series of natural amphitheaters carved into the edge of a plateau — filled with the greatest concentration of hoodoos on Earth, capped by some of the darkest accessible night skies in the country, and sitting at the top of the Grand Staircase, a geological record spanning 200 million years.

Peter Densmore, Visual Information Specialist at Bryce Canyon National Park, joins The Parks Podcast to explain what makes this place unlike anywhere else on Earth — and how to experience it in every season. Missy also shares her own winter visit during COVID, when she stood at the overlooks with snow on the hoodoos and had a peanut butter and jelly picnic at the rim of the plateau.

In this episode: — What a hoodoo actually is and how it forms — Why Bryce Canyon is not a canyon — and what it really is — 12,000 years of human history and the Southern Paiute's sacred connection to this land — How plants and wildlife survive at 8,000 feet — The darkest accessible night skies in the country — and how to plan around the moon cycle — Winter at Bryce Canyon — snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and what to prepare for — Lodging, camping, accessibility, and planning tips for every season — Why the Junior Ranger program is open to all ages

Links mentioned: — 

• Plan your visit
• Camping reservations
• Annual Astronomy Festival
• Merlin Bird ID App
• Utah road conditions

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On January 1st, 1992, Massachusetts started offering guided hikes at state parks on New Year's Day. By 2023, 884 parks across the country had joined — hosting 1,175 hikes, welcoming 60,048 participants, and logging 117,104 miles hiked. All on New Year's Day.

First Day Hikes is one of the best outdoor programs in America — and one of the most welcoming. There's something for every age, ability, and experience level: sunrise hikes up mountains, lantern-lit midnight walks, polar plunges, accessible waterfall boardwalks, and programs designed specifically for people who have never set foot on a trail.

Dia Hitt from South Carolina State Parks and Rob Barrett from Tennessee State Parks join The Parks Podcast to explain how it works and how to find one near you.

In this episode: — How First Day Hikes started in Massachusetts in 1992 and became a national tradition — What you can expect — the full spectrum from beginner walks to strenuous hikes — Polar plunges, skiing, lantern hikes, 5Ks, living history programs, and accessibility options — Why this is the perfect entry point for people who've never visited a state park before — How to find First Day Hikes in your state — and what to bring — Safety tips, layering advice, trail plan cards, and why you should always tell someone where you're going — The difference between state parks and national parks — and why both matter

Find your hike: — stateparks.org/specialprograms/firstdayhikes — Each state's individual park website

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Lake Elmo State Park is one of the best urban parks in Montana — and it has one of the most surprising origin stories of any park in this series.

In the 1930s, the land around this Billings reservoir became a swinging hotspot called the Elmo Club: two dance floors, jazz music, gambling, fresh fish from the Chesapeake, and newspapers from Chicago. Then, mysteriously, in 1946, the club burned down. Then the new owners opened two more clubs. Those burned down too.

Lake Elmo State Park District Manager Emily Tyler joins The Parks Podcast to share the full history — and why this park is one of the best places in Montana to swim, walk the dog, ice fish, or ski the loop road in winter.

In this episode: — The remarkable and mysterious history of the Elmo Club — Why Lake Elmo is the state park for the Billings community — and what that looks like in practice — Swimming, kayaking, paddleboarding, fishing, biking, and the dog park with its own water entrance — The action track chair and adaptive kayak launch for visitors with accessibility needs — Winter at Lake Elmo — ice fishing, ice skating rinks, and cross-country skiing — Montana state parks 101 — 55 parks, 8 dollars, one day pass good at all of them — Chief Plenty Coups State Park, Cooney State Park, and what else is near Billings — The Lewis and Clark connection — Lieutenant Pryor, 65 horses, and moccasins hanging in a tree

Links mentioned: — Lake Elmo: stateparks.mt.gov/lake-elmo — Western Heritage Center (Elmo Club footage): ywhc.org — Chief Plenty Coups State Park: stateparks.mt.gov/chief-plenty-coups

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Belle Grove Plantation in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia was built in 1797 by a man whose wife was the sister of President James Madison. At its peak, Isaac Hite Jr. enslaved 270 people. The growth and success of Belle Grove — everything you see when you visit — was built on their labor.

Today, Belle Grove is doing the work of putting names and faces to those 270 people, one by one. Their online museum has 24 issues of newsletters, each dedicated to one or two enslaved individuals. And every holiday season, 170 LED candles flicker on — one for each enslaved person whose name they know — arranged by family, because slavery rips families apart, and even in a symbolic way, Belle Grove is trying to keep them together.

Executive Director Kristen Lays joins The Parks Podcast during the holiday season to share the full story.

In this episode: — The history of Belle Grove from the 1730s to today — the Heights, the Madison connection, the Civil War headquarters — The 270 enslaved people who built Belle Grove and what the ongoing research is uncovering — The graffiti attic — 500+ signatures dating to 1857, including Civil War soldiers and a guest who signed Edgar Allan Poe's name after he was already dead — The holiday season at Belle Grove — garden clubs, Winter Whimsy, and what the holidays would actually have looked like in 1797 — The candle ceremony — 170 LED candles, one for each enslaved person whose name is known, arranged by family — How to plan your visit — guided tours, evening hours, special programs throughout the year

Links mentioned: — Belle Grove: bellegrove.org — Enslaved community online museum: virtual.bellgrove.org — Instagram: @bellegrove1797

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